Quotes From Ralph Friedgen's Tuesday Press Conference
9/14/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 14, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md.
Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen:
Opening remarks on West Virginia:
"This is a very big game for us this week playing the seventh-ranked Mountaineers of West Virginia who are playing very well right now. It will be a real test for our team. We are fairly healthy - we have a few nicks and bruises, but I think everyone that played last week should be ready to play. I think our team is looking forward to playing West Virginia because they know what a good football team they are and what a rivalry this is.
"We always have a lot of respect for them. I think regardless of where they are ranked we know it's going to be a tough game. There are a lot of things that have gone right for us in those other games, and hopefully they will continue to go right."
On West Virginia's offense:
"They've got quite a few good running backs, and all of them are pretty big backs that run very well. And they have a lot of tall, fast wide receivers that we are concerned about also. [West Virginia quarterback Rasheed] Marshall is throwing the ball better than he's ever thrown the ball. They get a lot of big plays because they run the football so well that people try to pack in and then they have the good wide receivers so they throw it up there and make the big play. "
On WVU's experience:
"West Virginia basically has the same team back they had at the Gator Bowl. They don't have Wiley, King or Wilson, but they are a junior/senior team. When you look at the people who have lettered, you see two or three letters next to everyone's name. They are a mature team."
On the preparation for the game:
"Every game is unique, and a lot of the guys we have playing now went to the Gator Bowl last year but they were watching, not playing. Their defensive structure makes it very difficult to run the football - they have a lot of guys in the box and they seem to keep those guys in there no matter what you do with your formation. Defensively, it's pretty much the same as what they were doing last year, with the exception being who is doing it."
On evaluating Maryland's youth and depth:
"I looked at the tape [of the Temple game] and it was typical me: I was disappointed on how they played, but when I looked at it, it was the first time a lot of those guys had played - it was their first game. I saw areas where they can get better and I think they will get better. A lot of them will play Saturday."
On RG Russell Bonham's status:
"We will make that evaluation at the end of the week. If he's at full speed he'll be the starter, if he's not quite full speed then I think we are better with Andrew [Crummey] in there. Either way, both are going to play. Crummey did a nice job this week and played very well against Northern Illinois."
On QB Joel Statham being tested:
"I think this is a big test not only for Joel but for a lot of our players to go into this environment against a top-ranked team. It's going to be a challenge, but I think it's one where if Joel can do well he'll grow tremendously from it. Even if he doesn't I think he'll grow from it. He was in against Georgia Tech last year which was a tough environment, too, and I thought he held his composure very will with the minimal amount of practice time he had. I can just see him gaining confidence on the field last week and he was in complete control of what he was doing."
